Reader question: Jail if fine is not paid?
January 21 2020
Dear readers,
It concerns the following: my girlfriend drove her car without insurance (stupid, but nothing can be done about it), and had a collision. No human injuries, just a cow run over. The owner of the cow demands hefty compensation.
Now my friend claims that the police knocked on her door and urged her to pay the amount to the owner. If not, she will go to jail for 3 months. Question: is that possible? Can the police (and not the judge) throw someone in jail?
For the sake of completeness: there has therefore been no court ruling.
I'd like to hear from you.
Regards,
Anonymous
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No, it is not possible, that is only possible after a court decision. The owner of the cow uses the police as a means of coercion.
If your girlfriend has been driving without insurance, she has broken the law.
If she does not want to pay for the damage caused, she will do so again.
An arrested drug user goes to prison, and from there to court.
It may take a while for the police to complete the investigation.
So yes, the police can send you to jail.
What the court does with it is another story.
However, I am pretty sure that she can be released on a mountain trip until the trial comes, but then she will still be convicted of driving without insurance with the possible aggravating circumstance that she does not want to pay for the damage caused.
However, it seems more obvious to me that she simply pays for the damage caused.
If that hurts the wallet, it's her own fault.
Of that money, half will go to the police anyway, you can be sure of that. After all, if that wouldn't bring them anything, they wouldn't bother at all…..they just sit on their ass and play with their phone.
On the other hand, driving without insurance is always a risk that can cost you dearly….. She will also not be proven right in court. Maybe the fine for driving without insurance isn't cheap either?
There is also the question of whether cows are allowed to walk on the street just like that? I see that everywhere here too, but I have no idea what the law says about this or not?
Is the question from @Anonymous an example of why (some) Thai women keep a farang as a friend? Has a cow been hit? Are photos and a police report/police report available? It may well be that the police are interceding for the cow owner in question and have asked her to compensate him? It often happens that the police take on this role. But threaten with 3 months detention if not paid? It's just how girlfriend communicates police question to boyfriend!
Dear Ruud and anonymous,
I understand that a dashboard camera now offers a solution in Thailand.
I got this from my wife, this is not regulated by law in her and my opinion
But these kinds of accidents can then be explained better.
There are many Thai drivers without insurance (I have already told you about this with my experience).
Don't be fooled with police at the door because this rarely happens and not for this
kind of collisions.
I would solve this with the owner of the cow and the police.
Of course it should not be a boyfriend, so if there is no outcome, make a proposal with
a lawyer.
There is nothing wrong with the word "Lawyer".
Yours faithfully,
Erwin
The problem should have been resolved with the owner of the cow right away.
This probably did not happen and the owner of the cow went to the police and reported it.
And then it got out of hand.
Incidentally, I don't think it's fair to accuse a Thai of cheating without any evidence.
People are also scammed in the Netherlands, does this mean that every Dutch person is a scammer?
I never knew that a Thai police officer knows the word lawyer.
That way I learn something new every day.
No, not just like that. This man is trying to take advantage of your ignorance. It works like this: You are invited to come to the police station with the opposing party. There a senior administrative police officer is waiting for you to lead the negotiations. This police officer then decides whether it will be a court case or not, which it will not be if everything is or is being paid. However, if this police officer decides that it will be a court case, he will also advise the court regarding the sentence that the court will not easily deviate from. He also gives advice on whether he is for or against bail and the amount thereof. Yes, different from the Netherlands.
and…… VERY wrschl. there is no cow killed at all, but you are just being cheated by your Thise sweetheart who is trying to extract a large sum of money from you in this way. stories and examples galore….don't fall for it!
Did the event as described above really happen?
Sorry if I seem a bit suspicious.
get a lawyer… maybe this is enough to make your girlfriend change her mind?
countless buffalos have become ill, family that suddenly has to go to the hospital and other sudden events that require immediate (financial) action from the boyfriend/farang…
You only need a lawyer when it is decided whether it will be a lawsuit or not. Usually it is settled by both parties at the police station after some dealing, without the use of a lawyer. As said, different from the Netherlands.
Did you see the damage to the car?
Driving a cow to death often also causes a lot of damage to the car!
Also consult a lawyer.
Be glad she killed a cow and not a school kid on a motorcycle. Then the problems were much bigger. Let her sit in jail for 3 months, then she can think about driving without insurance.
Maybe she just wants money from you and next time it will be more. So when will this stop. After her prison you really get to know her and know if she loves you or just your wallet.
You write that it is your girlfriend and does not know her very well yet.
Simple trick from your girlfriend to rake in some money.
The repair costs of the car will probably also be added.
In your position, I'd look into it a bit more.
As I said a few days ago , having a Thai girlfriend also requires you to be willing to pay . In Thailand, only the sun rises for free. For those who call I have a girlfriend in Thailand, also have to take into account that there is also a price or else the end of the relationship.
If you kill a cow then you have to drive fast and she has nothing at all? Weird story if you ask me.
If the cow (buffalo) has walked on the public road, the owner of the cow must pay for the damage to the car
I assume that cow has been walking on a public road in a village.
You have to bring that animal (sorry, animal) home in the evening, otherwise it may not be there the next day.
It will not be allowed to run on the highway, but undoubtedly it will be on the back roads, otherwise the farm will come to a standstill.
Even then, it remains the owner's business to keep an eye on his cows…
Yes, but he may have done that and she drove into that cow or perhaps herd.
And it does not mean that he is not allowed on public roads with his cows and/or that he is automatically at fault.
Hello Anonymous,
It is the well-known story of the Thai ladies to their boyfriend or husband who is not staying in Thailand.
Darling , sorry i make problem with my car , and now i have to pay otherwise i going to jail !!! Now you can check what is being played here on 1 finger, and the amount is up to your generosity before.
These are old tricks to get some extra money from their farrangs.
If you don't pay anything, nothing will happen.
And the word lawyer sometimes works, but your girlfriend or wife will say, that's way too expensive and then they don't have any extra money.
Wishing you much success and wisdom.
Joske
Price of a cow is 3,000 thb
That's all it takes
Driving without a license is another matter, but a criminal one and they are not sending you to jail for that now. But you have to pay the cow… as soon as possible
This story would definitely fit into the category: father/mother/brother/sister has to undergo expensive medical treatment, the cow/buffalo is seriously ill, the tractor is broken, etc.
I therefore find some suspicion about the truthfulness of her story appropriate. That's why I would like to see some evidence of what happened.
I can confirm what theoS says on January 21, 2020 at 10:20 am and on
January 22, 2020 at 05:50 am.
Getting a decision from the court is (much) too expensive for most Thai people and can take a very long time. The parties will therefore first go together with a respected police officer or ผู้ใหญ่บ้าน (phoejai job :: district head) to see if they can negotiate an agreement about the compensation / damage settlement.
I don't know of any cases where half of the money ends up in the pockets of the police, but I haven't made a study of that.
In my opinion, even in Thailand, cows are allowed to walk on public (inland) roads, as long as it is done under the supervision of a human being. If not, the owner of the cows will in principle be responsible for the damage.
The cow does not have to be killed immediately, but if the treatment of the injuries were too expensive, it could still have been killed later.
฿3000 (almost €90) for an adult cow seems rather low to me, ฿30.000 is closer to me. (On the internet, I saw a water buffalo price of ฿50.000.)
The Thai police have more power than the Dutch, but I doubt they can detain her for 3 months for something like that.